Dangerous infections now spreading outside hospitals Deaths from C. difficile have doubled, rising from 14,000 a year in 2007 to 21,000 in 2011 Check out this story on WBIR.com: http://usat.ly/1BvL7Lj Life-threatening infections caused by bacteria called Clostridium difficile now sicken nearly half a million Americans a year, health officials said Wednesday. The number of these infections - which can cause "deadly diarrhea" and damage to the colon - doubled between 2000 and 2010, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.